National Volunteer Week is the perfect opportunity to recognize one of America’s most valuable assets — its volunteers — and to reflect on the wide-ranging ways they improve our communities. Instituted in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order to establish the week as an annual celebration of volunteering, National Volunteer Week encourages individuals and communities to discover the power of volunteering to make a difference and to create lasting social change.

Some Facts About Volunteering (Points of Light Institute Fact Sheet)

• Communities with high numbers of neighbors working with and helping each other are healthier and more vibrant places to live and work.
• Volunteering offers substantial health benefits. An analysis of data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging found that individuals who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who do not, even when controlling for physical health.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 60.8 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2006 and September 2007.
• Asking people directly is the most effective way to recruit volunteers.

Check out this video to see what some programs have to say about how they
celebrated National Volunteer Week

Recognizing Volunteers

Celebrating volunteers can happen in a variety of ways, but ideally, because each individual is unique, recognition should be tailored to each volunteer’s specific needs or character.

Former volunteer manager, Nan Hawthorne, maintains that there are four typical motivators for volunteers - praise, affiliation, accomplishment, and power (influence) - and has developed a list of rewards based on this principle.

• If your volunteer is motivated by praise you might include a recognition spot on your website or newsletter; a reference letter; personal notes of thanks; unexpected small gifts; or an Employee of the Month plaque.
• Rewards for volunteers motivated by affiliation might include social gatherings where they can be acknowledged; organization t-shirts; name badges; and opportunities to work with a variety of people.
• Recognize volunteers motivated by accomplishment with certificates of accomplishment; continuing education or education credits; job assignments that offer increased responsibilities; opportunities for advancement; and regular and honest evaluations.
• Rewards for volunteers motivated by power and influence might include titles or rank insignia; a special parking spot for a designated period of time; involvement as a speaker at organization workshops; job assignments that enable interaction with those in higher authority; opportunities to negotiate; and opportunities to work with the media.

Volunteers and members need to feel appreciated and rewarded on a regular basis — not just at an end-of-year event. Integrating recognition into the work routine is the most effective way to reward employees; proactive steps can motivate your volunteers and ensure that they feel valued every day.

Celebrate Volunteers by Joining Them!
Find volunteer opportunities at:

• 1-800-volunteer.org
• USAService.org
• VolunteerMatch
• Servenet
• Idealist.org

Resources from the Hands On Network
Visit the website at www.handsonnetwork.org/nationalprograms/signatureevents/nvw to:

• Download the National Volunteer Week resource guide
• Nominate a volunteer for an award, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award
• Share your recognition activities and stories of your award-winning volunteers
• Find tools to help publicize your project

For additional information about National Volunteer Week, contact Pat Chandler at (404) 979-2920 or pchandler@handsonnetwork.org.

National Volunteer Week is a service of the Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network; sponsored by Target.

Additional Resources

• Ten Tips on Volunteering Wisely (Independent Sector)
  

www.independentsector.org/give5/volunteer_wisely.htm

• Take Root: Volunteer Management Guidebook (HandsOn Network)
  www.nationalserviceresources.org/take-root-volunteer-management-guidebook
• Celebrating Service: Putting together an end-of-the-year service celebration (EnCorps)

http://encorps.nationalserviceresources.org/resources/recognizing_service/celebrating_service.php

• For specific facts on volunteering in your community, see Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings (Corporation for National and Community Service) www.cns.gov/about/volunteering/cities.asp

Bibliographic Records

• 77 Ways to Recognize Volunteers
• Recognizing Volunteers and Paid Staff: The Art, the Science and a Gazillion Ideas!
• Keeping Volunteers: A Guide to Retention
• Beyond Banquets, Plaques & Pins: Creative Ways to Recognize Volunteers
• Keep Those Volunteers Around
• Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul: Stories to Celebrate the Spirit of Courage, Caring and Community

Effective Practices

• Planning for National Volunteer Week: 20 tips
• Promoting National Volunteer Week
• Recognizing student volunteers with leadership awards
• Creating imaginative recognition events for senior volunteers
• Developing a survey to assess volunteer satisfaction
• Creating a welcoming environment for new volunteers
• Honoring ordinary heroes through a community service project

Online Courses

• Engaging College Students as Volunteer Leaders
• Volunteer Management
• Moving Volunteers from Service to Civic Engagement

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